Suprise inside
by LoliPear the WaltzQueen
Summary: Danni gets an email from a secret admirer, which sparks off a chain of events that has the Halfa reeling. DXY
1. Mushy at that

This whole story is set some time after Phantom Planet. Sam and Danny are living it up married in the Ghost Zone. Jack and Maddie are still in the Human World beating up on anybody that gets out of line. Valerie is rich again due to her job as a hunter of rouge ghosts. And Vlad was separated from his ghost half, which is residing in ClockWork's domain under watch separate from Dan Phantom, and his Human self is being kept jailed by Walker. Danielle is 16 in this story and being forced to attend school either in the Ghost Zone or the Human Realm like all of the ghost kids with the exception of Johnny 13 and Kitty (they had been kicked out of every school in both worlds), she picks the Ghost Zone with her brother and has been there for a while now.** I don't own it so don't rub it in, it all belongs to Butch.**

~~~DP~~~

Danielle Fenton woke up to what was possibly the most heinous sound in the world, more brutal than all of Skulker's attacks combined, more vicious than the ruthless Pariah Dark, The most evil sound known to both Man and Ghost, the retched beeping of an alarm clock that wouldn't go off if the cord was pulled out. 'They said ghosts could be cruel? 'Danni decided as she stumbled over to the alarm clock, trying a few times before finally hitting the right button. 'Whoever came up with these clocks should be dumped into the Far Frozen' Danni stretched out every part of herself that she knew how to stretch before sitting down in front of her new computer. It technically wasn't a new computer, it had used to be Danny's and he had given it to her as a welcoming gift when she moved into Sam's old house (Danny ans Sam lived in the Fenton house) in his area of the Ghost Zone which happened to look very much like the real world Amity Park; complete right down to the last detail of the scorch mark underneath the third desk to the left of room 113 in the left wing of the Ghost Zone's version of Casper High. 'He must really love his home' Danni mused as the computer loaded 'At least one of us did.'

Shaking her head she pushed those thoughts away as she put her hand on the monitor, allowing it to read her energy signature, the newest adaption in anti-hacking software from Tucker Foley, president of SF-A2 Computers and Software, and most powerful technology based billionaire in the world. As the computer logged her in and her desktop popped up (a picture of Vlad Plasmius Tied up in a chicken suit with bad make up on and getting pelted by eggs), she clicked on the little green Ethernet icon in the corner bringing up her homepage. She hopped on to her email and was about to start deleting everything that came from someone she didn't know before when something caught her eye.

"To Danni Fenton" the title read. The sender was anonymous. Against all common sense Danni clicked on the email, and was quite surprised at what she saw. "Dude, No Way!" Sending e-mails in the ghost world was a bit like talking straight to the ghost who sent it. Each email has its own energy signature attached. To send an anonymous letter would take a lot of effort and a talent some ghosts just didn't have. Danni could clearly see why it had been sent anonymously now. It was a love letter! 'And a mushy one at that...' Danni concentrated on it harder. The whole thing had been typed up in poetry format with plenty of words that were more than a bit old fashioned and a few she'd have to look up. "Hmmm, was it Ghost Writer? Euchh!" Shaking her head franticly she immediately nixed that idea, although the sheer plausibility saved it from complete termination.

Once she had calmed down she swivelled in her chair around and around a few times before she was once again facing the love letter on her monitor. Glancing at the time displayed on the alarm clock in nuclear Blue numbers she aptly decided against wasting any more time and printed out the letter before stuffing it in her back pack and powering down the computer.

And just in time, too. The Ghoul Bus had just pulled up in front of her house


	2. Ghoul Bus Blues

They were all ghosts! Why any of them were forced to sit still on the smelly yellow monstrosity of a bus with teeth was beyond their comprehension. They just figured it was a bus that Danny had rode to school on and felt sentimentally compelled to bring into the Ghost Zone and bring to life when he left home. Of course the whole idea was B-S and it was all because the kids had a terrible habit of flying into school and knocking stuff over and breaking things when they landed and to discourage this_, voila_, the Ghoul Bus was imported.

There was no driver, It happened to be a living vehicle, a cousin of a car named Doomie that belonged to Sam's friend Lydia and her husband BeetleJuice, both of whom also happened to live in a section of the Ghost Zone called the NeitherWorld long before the planet was in danger of becoming road kill from Disasteroid. Much like Doomie, the Ghoul Bus, had its own kill switch. Where Doomie hated dogs, dead or alive, GB hated motorcycles, Johnny 13 and his motorcycle specifically, and would literally transform into a gigantic yellow dinosaur with windows on the side to chase it down. So as an agreement Johnny and Danny gave the kids 15 seconds each to get on the Ghoul Bus so that it could avoid Johnny and Kitty as they rode around and above the city in their daily lookout and mischief making in a meticulously crafted schedule. Danni transformed as she booked it down the stairs and out the door before leaping into the doors and doing a barrel roll down the aisle, as a safety precaution. She had once been standing when GB had started hightailing it to the next kid's place and had been knocked over by the sheer momentum of GB moving under her feet.

Danni usually had more skill than to miss her stop, but the mystery of the letter had thrown her off and she rolled farther than she usually did and only caught a handhold three seats from the back. As soon as GB stopped Danni lifted herself off of the floor ASAP and sat down in the seat she had grabbed on to. Letting her head fall onto the seat in front of her Danni grabbed her spectral heart and let out a sigh of relief, any father back and she would have been sitting too close to Klemper for any one's comfort. She sat there a few moments before noticing the green eyes looking curiously at her; eyes belonging to a former rambunctious child with a penchant for dressing up. He had been invisible to adults and impervious to aging until the Observants punished him for accidently letting Vortex out and took away those abilities. Looking up she saw fate had decided that she should be sitting with a now teenaged Youngblood today. Needless to say what would happen next would be a perfect example of why fate was known as the greatest trickster.

The Ghost Zone is constantly gaining and losing inhabitants what with them dying and becoming Ghost or passing on to go wherever they go and to smooth out the differences school was held all year round, but with shorter days to help get the newly dead adjusted. The effects of this were seen especially strongly on the Ghoul Bus. When a student first comes on the Ghouls Bus they sit down and that is their seat forever until they graduate; which is exactly why the next turn of events would be sufficiently traumatic.

"Hello," a voice called from the front of the bus. "I'm new this year. Please don't hurt me." It was Box Lunch. She was coming in for her first year of High School. Her mom, the Lunch Lady, had passed on during the final fight with Vlad Plasmius, and she had been told to be cautious of those around her. She had done as she was told and asked everyone not to hurt her. Being the careful ghost she was, she tried very hard to avoid offending anyone and sat down in the only empty seat on the entire Ghoul Bus (not including those near Klemper, she had heard stories about him) which was until that very moment she sat down Danni Fenton's seat.

Danni stared in abject horror as the innocuous ghost just doomed her to sitting with Youngblood until the next ghost graduated or passed on. Wide eyed and open mouthed a small whimper escaped her and she felt like crying inside. _I'm doomed. Utterly doomed. Why Youngblood, Why?_


	3. Debt of Avoidance

Ok, Just in case there was any confusion, Klemper sits at the very back of the bus. No one sits to close to him to avoid his freaking out. Yes, Youngblood is still dressed as a pirate; it wouldn't be Youngblood if he wasn't. This whole thing is inspired by the Danny Phantom fanfic called 'Adjustment',( it's great you should check it out) and as such it's going to have tons of references to that story, except my story strays a little in the details. The main points are all there; Vlad goes down (albeit differently than her story), the Lunch Lady is gone, Sam is a halfa and Danni was accepted into the Fenton family. I structured what things may have been like if the story hadn't been set up for a sequel. So first and foremost, go check out Adjustment. It's got my true, 100% approval. Also people, please give me reviews. Someone put me on watch, but I'd like to hear what that people like my work. Also the reference in the last chapter was to the cartoon series of BeetleJuice. I love that show. It just occurred to me that Danni doesn't have a specific last name and Youngblood doesn't have a first name. Weird, huh?

~~~DP~~~

Danni had never been one for crying, especially since she couldn't afford the luxury of tears. When she was related to one of the strongest ghosts in the Ghost Zone and related to the only other Halfas, one by marriage, she was expected to excel. Crying , even for luck so bad as this, was not included. Danni quickly recovered and heaved a sigh. _It's okay. It's not so bad. Just shove it to the place in your head where you put that thought about Ghost Writer being in love with you and writing that email. _The thought still made Danni a little bit sick, but it helped her mind switch tracks_. Hmmm... I wonder who wrote that letter? It was pretty well written, if very mushy, and there were lots of old words in it. Ghost Writer knows plenty of old words._ That sick feeling came back again. _But, let's not go there. Ummm, well to know old words you have to be kind of old (1), who else is an old ghost? _The Ghoul Bus slowed down for a few moments as another student leapt in to avoid having to fly to school and get detention for being late. _Well, there are some of the Black and White fifties Ghosts, but they seem pretty wrapped up in themselves. The only one who doesn't would be Sydney Pointdexter. I'm not too sure about him being able to send an anonymous email. I've seen him in school and he seems like the kind of ghost that would send letters that would be shaking with nervousness._

The Ghoul Bus stopped once more, this time no nervous ghost barrelled in. They had finally come to school, the replica Casper High. The students floated out in single file in a hurry to be away from Klemper. The only one who didn't immediately hop up was still half asleep. Apparently he was out on a raid in one of the farther out areas last night, because Youngblood still sat with a dazed look on his face.

"Come on, stupid! Hurry up before Klemper gets up here!" _Uh oh._ Klemper had finally noticed that the bus had stopped moving and was starting to get up. No ghost wanted an encounter with Klemper, and all felt such great pity for those that got too close that an unspoken pact between those that rode the GB was created; if a fellow spirit was in danger of having a run in with him, all available would give them a hand or tentacle as it may be. _Quick, gotta think of something... Oh! I know!_ "Hey, Klemper!" The ghost smiled at Danni and started moving towards the front of the bus more quickly before stopping as he heard her next words. "Was that a butterfly?" she exclaimed pointing out the window at the back of the Bus. Klemper elatedly turned around and pressed his eyes straight against the glass in an effort to spot the elusive butterfly. Danni snatched up Youngblood, complete with parrot, before bolting away from the Ghoul Bus and Klemper and straight into school.

Once inside Youngblood seemed to finish waking up and yanked himself free of the female Halfa's grip.

"You can let go 'tank ye very much!"Youngblood snapped. He shook his head to get the sleep out of his eyes, before brushed away his bright green hair, the back of which was pulled into a small ponytail. "I can take care o' meself!"

Danni rounded on the floating pirate angrily "You can be a little nicer, you know. I just saved your but back there, unless you like Klemper following you around." Youngblood flinched and seemed to become slightly physically ill at the thought. "I didn't think so. In fact, you owe me! "

"What?" It wasn't rare for anyone to put another in their debt for saving them from Klemper. What was rare was for it to be acknowledged as just that, a debt. Most just tried to show the necessary amount of gratitude that was appropriate and then hurry on their way with their lives as soon as they got the nod that they were good. However, it didn't seem that things would be going as usual this time. "I don't owe ye' anything, ye scurvy grog-snarfing privateer!"He shot back slightly rancorously. He had certainly gotten better at speaking like a pirate since he had to start growing up.

"Oh, yes, you do. You owe the little madam big time, Youngblood," the parrot put in. "Klemper would have been a nuisance all day. And probably a little while after that. Remember last time? You had to get a new leg." Youngblood shivered in remembrance.

"Okay, Blimy. I owe ye one, ye scrappy blowfish. Don't mean I'll like it any."He growled, irritated, but submitting to the wisdom of his parrot. Suddenly the bell rang, the sound of a church bell being rung, and the spectral students started floating into class.

"Look Young," Danni said. Youngblood scowled at the nickname. "We can deal with this after school."

"I'll agree wiv ye', bucko. But it'll be on my ship we'll be meeting. I've got raids to run an' mainbraces to splice. If'n ye will chat wiv me," Youngblood said, "then I'll be wastin' no time while doin' it. I be seeing ye later." At this Youngblood turned away and sped to his first class, swinging his cutlass as he waded through the sea of students. "Gangway ye yellow-bellied kraken...!" sounded from the other side of the hallway as he sped off.

1- Does anyone else sense a flaw in her logic here?


	4. Pirate Poetry for the First Mate

Students weren't separated by year in school or anything preset. Ghost school was a mixture of classes that you weren't good in. If you were a history wiz when you died but weren't good at cooking, they'd send you to a Home Ec. class. Danni was one of the top students, next to Poindexter, who only came back to school even though he graduated because he liked helping kids who weren't good at their studies. Danni was second to Poindexter because he was good in everything while Danni was all but failing biology and Algebra. And seeing as how she didn't see how she was going to need Algebra is a world where the sky was green and purple doors floated around suspended by nothing, Danni only payed half attention to the class, preferring to re examine the letter she had printed out. The class after that was a study hall, so she could do whatever she liked. Danni read the letter to herself softly.

_Over the greatest mount I would climb just to hear your voice  
I'd dwell with you over going to heaven if I might have the choice  
Your splendid spirit makes my heart beat fast, the sooner you draw nigh  
I'd take you heaven sailing and then through the jungle we would fly  
I'd give you dragon scales but for to see your eyes shine so glad  
We should be content together if you should but choose this lad  
My will is only so that your dream is to be fulfilled  
Even if that dream were to have my heart be stilled  
somewhere over rapture is far below all hell  
in comparison to hearing your beautiful lips to me tell  
That your heart is mine and mine is yours, dear maiden spry and fair  
If you were with me, that we would be, made of lighter things than air  
No crude disease or travesty, would come to us to call  
And our lives should truly be christened the happiest of all  
And so here I do depart with sadness over laced  
but know that I should see you soon with all fastness and haste  
For my dreams are made of you alone  
The brightest star you have out shone  
My heart would be turned to stone  
If I would not un-condone  
that I must leave you alone  
as I dream of you_

She again appraised the confession, still bringing up no possible suspects. _At this rate they'll have to tell me that they wrote it before I figure it out._ She sighed despairingly as her head hit the table. Appaerently being clueless was a part of Danny's genes, because it was strongly manifesting in Danni, much to her frustration. The tree hour school day passed quickly with nothing more unusual happening than for Box Lunch to try to sit with Danni which in itself was natural as it was her first day, although Danni was still angry about the seat thing and was tempted not to let her. Soon the bell would ring and everyone within flight distance, Danni included, would pack up and fly home, most that lived farther away would warily get back on the Ghoul Bus and hope that Johnny 13 wasn't around today. Today wasn't like that.

Danni had only noticed something strange going on during her last class when a rope appeared outside the window she was sitting next to. Danni dropped the book she had been reading and tried to see where the rope was coming from. When she couldn't get a clear view she opened the window and leaned out a bit as she looked straight up. _What in the Zone...?_ Suddenly something came barrelling at her from the side and swept her away as the decoy rope was pulled up. Surprised, Danni put up no struggle until she was back on a relatively stable surface at which she pushed away the one holding her, who turned out to be Youngblood.

"Welcome aboard the BloodHart!" He said grabbing a fuming Danni around the shoulders with his real hand and pulling her towards him so they were practically smushed together like a PB&J. "If ye' godda' talk this is te' place ter do it." Youngblood stomped his peg leg and his pirate crew brought up two obscenely grand, large and very ornate chairs with red velvet cushions and a cooler containing one medium-large bottle of red wine and random sodas that Youngblood had picked up at one point or another, setting it all down on the platform near the navigator. "Siddown! Enjoy yer 'self." He had apparently gotten over his being upset at some point in the day and was now directing Danni towards one of the chairs with bright spirits and a touch of ham handedness.

Youngblood plopped onto the plush chair and started rummaging through the ice for the larger bottle. "Listen Youngblood, I still have school to go to. I can't just disappear from class!" Danni yelled, a touch irate, even as she settled into the chair.

"Keel haul bloody school! In case ye' 'aven't noticed, I'm a pirate I don' have rules." He said as he uncorked the wine and took a swig directly from the bottle before huskily whispering to himself, "Ahhh, that's the good stuff." No one cared if he drank, they were all dead what was it going to do? Kill him?

Youngblood kicked his feet up on the cooler and slouched a little making his pendant around his neck fall to the side and swing slightly. "You may not have rules but I do and I still have school."Danni said green eyes blazing as she rose from her chair as and aimed a menacing finger at him. "I have school and-"

"No ye don't." He cut her off, slightly smug.

"Since when?" She replied irritated and a little confused.

"Since now." And not two seconds later the school bell rang and ghosts immediately started out for home, pausing for a few moments to look at the levitating visage of the BloodHart before continuing back to their usual haunts.

"Regardless, I-"

"We've got yer stuff too. No need ter be worryin'." He took another swig from the bottle and gestured at the chair with his hook. "Have a seat." He invited with lips stained slightly red. He licked his lips lazily, savouring the wine as the ship started moving away from the school and into his area of the Ghost Zone. Parrot flapped over to his shoulder, his skeletal wings clicking.

Grudgingly, Danni sat back down and a moment later found a rather large emerald set in a silver ring on her lap. She cautiously picked it up. "What's this for?"She queried the ghost that sat before her.

"I 'ad extras from one o' te' recent raids." Youngblood said, as he straightened out his back and reversed his slouch. "I'm fellin' gen'rus lately. Try it 'on. Should fit, mos'ly." She did, it was a bit loose for her ring finger but fit her middle perfectly. _How did he get so good at telling people's ring sizes?_

"I've decided what I'm gonna do fer ye,"he started clumisy, "fer gettin' me 'way from Klemper. I've decided to offar ye a spot as firs' mate on me ship fer as long as ye like. Least I could do." He shivered and made a face. "Na matter wot I calle ye, he's tha real scallywag." He hastily took another swallow from the bottle's ever shrinking supply.

The two sat in silence for a moment .  
"So, wad do ya say?" Youngblood leaned forwards and extended the wine bottle towards the white haired Halfa with a mischievous grin and a raised eyebrow. Danni narrowed her eyes slightly before letting her contemplative smirk transform its self into a grin. She grabbed the bottle, closed her eyes as she tilted her head back and took a sip, effectively swapping spit with the young pirate. When she separated the bottle from her face she noticed her hair that was usually in a ponytail was down and her usual black and white Ghost Suit had been replaced with a stomach showing, sleeveless black collar shirt with a small copy of the Phantom symbol in the chest side by side with an equally small Jolly Roger and a pair of black and white vertically striped pants cut off and ragged around her knees, as though the pants had been somehow disagreeable to the eye along the bottom and a sloppy job with some scissors had been the solution. She was now officially a pirate on the BloodHart.

"Welcome aboard, first mate. Yer fisrt day starts ter morro'." He said jovially, as he and Danni raised themselves from their respective seats. Danni flew off of the BloodHart but didn't get far before Youngblood called out jokingly "If'n yer real nice ter'morro' I'll let ye call me sweetie, hahaha."

Danni laughed and turned towards him "In your dreams. See you Youngblood!" Then Danni started her trek home as Youngblood watched her speed off.

"Ye, in me dreams..." he murmured a little sad as he contemplated his newest and liveliest crew member and how he felt about her. He rested his check in the palm of his hand and he started whispering...

"Me dreams are made o' ye alone..."


	5. Deals and Dreams

. I've not yet assessed Youngblood's actual age in this fic and I will do so now. Since Danni was a clone and turned out to be twelve when she was born, she's technically only two years old. And Youngblood , inversely, was a dead kid for a while, fifty years to be precise, and so here he's fifty-six years old, but is physically sixteen like Danni is

~~~DP~~~

Danni landed in front of Danny's house and changed back to her human form, letting her usual hoody and jeans, now with the emerald ring, over take her new pirate suit. _It's much better at Danny's house_ she mused passing the huge "Fenton Works" sign and walking in. _All that's at my place is Cujo and homework-Wait a second..._ Danni physically winced as she realised her error. _I left my stuff on board the BloodHart. Great, I've got a test tomorrow and everything. I even left my e-mail in there. How am I supposed to figure out who it belongs to now?_ Not that she was making much headway when she had the email. Danni walked over to the kitchen table and plopped down in the nearest chair. Sighing, she decided to win by giving up. She sat down and tried not to think about the problem. And then she had a thought. Danni was confused and starting to get a little frustrated and when that happened there was only one thing to do, "Go ask Sam!" whispered in a 'eureka moment' as she bounded up the stairs.

~~~DP~~~

"So you need help?"Sam was standing across the room in a black dress that, despite being sleeveless, covered everything from her chin down. She was putting the finishing touches on her makeup, in front of the bat and werewolf covered black vanity. She and Danny had plans to go out on a date in the Human World tonight.

"It's not help, it's assistance" Danni said proudly crossing her arms over her chest. She wouldn't admit to asking for help if the evidence was staring her straight in the face. However, this evidence was not only staring her in the face, it was staring her in the face with a no-nonsense attitude and a dangerous pair of boots, with sharp pointy heels, and facing such evidence Danni quickly dropped the facade. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed before raising her hands in defeat. "Okay, yeah, I need help." She crossed her arms again letting her shoulder let the wall roughly as she leaned against it, a little miffed at having to out and out ask for help.

"I mean, I don't really know anyone. The closest I got that would be reasonable would be the ghosts from Aragon and they don't really seem like the type to start trying to date me via email love letter." She walked over to Sam to hold her hair back away from her face as she got the last bits of makeup done around the eyes. "Still it's better than my first thought about who could have written it."

"Who?"Sam looked at Danni's reflection in the mirror.

"It had lots of old weird sounding words in it so I figured it must have been somebody old. And when I put together old and weird words my first thought was Ghost Writer." Danni announced, torn between amusement and a sick feeling and need to shiver. Sam sided with amusement and broke out laughing.

"Haha, Danni! That's-ha-that's disgusting! Hahaha!"

"I know, right?" Sam now finished with her makeup, stepped back and Danni followed suit.

"Well," Sam said. "I don't know who it could be. Just let it be and it'll come to you." Danni shrugged noncommittally at this. "Any way, has anything else happened lately? Wait a second, is that a new ring?" Sam moved closer to check it out. "It's nice where'd you get it?"

"Well, that has to do with what happened to me lately." Danni began recounting how her day had gone straight up until she left for the Fenton's house and had changed forms to show off her new outfit. Sam stayed silent for the most part asking a few questions here and there. When Danni came to the end Sam sat thinking for a few moments.

"Why did he say he gave you the ring, again?"

"He said he had extras, and I wasn't complaining." Danni replied looking at Sam before looking down at the ring, picking out details in the engraving.

"And you didn't think twice about joining a band of ghost pirates?"Sam questioned with a measure of disbelief.

"Not really," She said "Besides, he mainly loots bad guys. You know, like Technus and those guys. I know because Danny told me once."She said with a measure of childish pride in having her big brother confide in her. "He said, with Youngblood growing up regardless of whether or not he wanted to, he'd be nice and give him an outlet for frustrations and trend of bugging people by giving him someone he was allowed to irritate."

"Danni, Youngblood might be the guy." Danni pulled a slight face at this. "No seriously!"Sam explained. "He dresses like a pirate, speaks with an accent, is older than me, you and Danny. This could seriously be your suspect. Youngblood is in love with you."

"Pffft," Danni replied dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand. "If you're right then not only will I kiss you on the mouth, I'd kiss him too and then have a luau in Aragon. Complete" She said raising her hand and pointing up and setting the other one on her hip, "with the grass skirt!" Needless to say Danni doubted the possibility one hundred percent.

Sam raised her eyebrow with a smirk_. Apparently_ she thought _cluelessness in love is genetic. Danny took years to figure it out, let's see if we can shorten that wait with Danni, she_ thought.

"All right Danni" Sam interjected putting out her hand. "I accept your challenge!"

"Deal!" Danni grasped her hand and shook. A contract had been struck and the game was on.

~~~DP~~~

_And she was kissing him. Her arms were snaked around his neck as he rubbed his hand down the nape of her neck; their legs were intertwined like pieces of a rope. He could feel her soft lips against his and the taste of red wine as he cast all thoughts of anything else to the wind. Their tongues clung to each other as fervently as a riptide was fierce She moaned slightly as they kissed, the small whimpers and groans made his already steamy blood boil. They stayed like that for a few moments before Danni pulled her head back a little and, never breaking the kiss, Youngblood followed her before letting her go. An almost physical pain sprouted from missing the touch and taste of her lips. "Youngblood," Danni sighed and his heart swelled to the point of breaking. He looked at the beautiful girl-no, woman who was bathed in the light of the Ghost Zone's full moon. Youngblood wanted to tell her everything, about his life before, about how beautiful she was, inside and out, about how important she was to him. He wanted to describe to her every detail with words that flowed as smoothly and passionately as the very ocean itself, yet he found himself only able to speak one word, "Danni, Danni, Danni..."He whispered passionately as he pulled her into him for another kiss-_

Youngblood opened his eyes; he was in bed in the Captain's Quarters on the BloodHart. There was no full moon; there was no Danni; just him, his parrot and a piece of wood between his legs that was most certainly not his peg leg. _Growing up sucks,_ Youngblood despaired. _At least it wouldn't suck so badly if I had someone to share my life with. _

He got up and fetched the bottle that he and Danni had shared that afternoon, on his way up to the deck. He traipsed along to the railing and leaned against it as he raised the wine to his lips. He disregarded the taste of the wine. Wine was unimportant; Wine could be bought and replaced. What he needed was something that may only ever get this once. Youngblood was in heaven, he could taste where her lips had touched the bottle. She tasted like _French vanilla_. He sighed contentedly. She tasted like the French Vanilla ice cream his mother used to make when he was alive._ She tastes like home._ He thought as he turned around_. It's fate that we should be together._ He stopped just in side of his doorway and grabbed his heart. _Please, let it be fate. Let us be meant for each other. Please, _he wished.

~~~DP~~~

Somewhere in the Ghost Zone Desiree woke up feeling a disturbance. It didn't take long to recognize who it was_. Sigh. Youngblood's pining over the Halfa girl again._ A part of her perked up a little, but the rest of herself pushed it back down_. If he's been dreaming about her a few years now and hasn't said anything, what are the chances he will now?_ Desiree snuggled back up to her luxurious plush pillows. _Besides, the lad has to figure it out on his own._ Desiree yawned as she started descending into the realm of Nocturne._ It'll happen eventually._


	6. Pirate Adjustment and Butchering Butch

Hey, I'm going to say up front that I have nothing against Gays. My friends are gay, straight, Bi and lesbian. And to top it all off, I'm asexual. Me knocking them would be like aiming a gun at my own forehead. So, don't keel haul me over it, please, 'kay, thanks.

~~~DP~~~

Danni laid, sprawled put on her bed in her usual old holey sweatpants and t-shirt. The sky blue covers were not living up to their name, wrapped around her ankles, not really covering anything. The alarm clock of Hades proclaimed that the time was 7:14, and that it would be conducting its morning symphony of cruelty in a minute or so. A pile of clothes on the floor started moving, and this time it wasn't Maddie's cooking launching an attack on family and friends. Cujo lifted his tiny head out from under a hooded sweatshirt as he did every morning and quickly skedaddled underneath Danni's bed not a moment too soon. A high pitched keen started low but quickly worked its way up to max volume. The sound was like a banshee on crack whose cat just died.

"Geez, okay already!" Danni got up and shuffled over to the demon clock, "I swear you're worse than that cat that had acid for blood." Cujo growled softly (that cat had been a bad experience for him) as Danni slammed down on the obnoxious alarm.

Danni stretched as usual before heading over to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Cujo took the opportunity, bringing his Squeaky with him, to scamper down the many stairs of the duplicate Manson house until he got to the large and state of the art kitchen. If the Mansons had been living in the Ghost Zone version of their house they would have tried very hard to kick the dog after screaming about a dead mastiff puppy sitting on the counter chewing on a box of dog food. So everything worked out just fine when Danni came downstairs in ghost form, white hair floating behind her, and paid it no more mind than to pet him on the head. Danni rarely stayed in human form any more, after all living in the Ghost Zone in human form wasn't worth the effort if you were falling through the sidewalk every couple of seconds. "Good boy, Cujo." The dog in question lifted up his head and yipped happily before shoving his face back into the ether flavoured dog food.

Danni's boots sounded loudly as they clomped against the overly cheerful design of flowers in the linoleum floor. Without her backpack she didn't have any homework to hurriedly finish up and could spend her time actually eating her breakfast instead of shoving it into her mouth like Cujo did. Bowl of BooBerry and milk in hand Danni sat down in her chair. The half asleep halfa was reminded of her outfit switch as the skull buckled belt that held her pants up, came undone and the small skull clanged against the side of the chair_. Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm a pirate now. First mate in one day, not bad._ She stuffed the last bit of breakfast in her mouth and started trying to clasp her belt.

_Dang it, Man_! Danni stopped again to brush the hair away from her face. _Do pirates have to not use ponytail holders?_ Her long white locks were floating around as though she was under some invisible sea even if she wasn't even moving_. Sigh_, she rolled her eyes skyward_ If he weren't already dead I'd kill Youngblood for this._ Danni finally managed to get the belt to buckle and was on the verge of going to look for safety pins to secure it there. Danni glanced around the kitchen before her eyes landed on the clock. Danni slammed on her mental brakes. "Oh shit! The Bus!!"

"See you Cujo!" Cujo barked as Danni zoomed through the front door before barrelling into the Ghoul Bus as always. Force of habit almost had Danni reaching out to grab what was now Box Lunch's seat. Danni pulled her arm back at the last second and instead reached out to grab Youngblood's hook.

Youngblood retracted his arm pulling Danni besides him into the seat. "That be a close 'un. Half a tick later an' ye wouldda' been sittin' wiv' Him."

"Thanks for the lift up, Youngblood."The fifteen seconds being over, the Ghoul Bus took off at its usual warp speed.

"Na tanks needed." Youngblood said leaning down to grab something. He held up her black backpack. "Ye lef' yer stuff on me ship Danni. Sorre I didn' drop it off, dun know where ye live." Youngblood really was sorry he didn't know where she lived. It was for the better though, if he had known he'd have probably been stalking her by this point.

Danni took her backpack and started rummaging through it. "Thanks, you and me both. But I have a study hall first hour so I can get it done on time."

"Ge' whot done?"

"My homework, duh. Say, don't you have any homework? I never see you with a bag or anything." Youngblood frowned at this and blushed slightly. "What?"

"I only 'ave one class." He said refusing to look at her.

"Well, that's great. What class is it?" Youngblood's face took on a nasty expression.

"The blimin' fools, put me in Speech Thearpy!" he ground out, his accent changing 'therapy' into 'thearpy'. "An all dae, all dey' do is talk an' 'ave me say stuff. Is bloody tiresum." At this he crossed his arms and let himself fall back on the seat with a cross between a menacing glare and a childish pout. Evidently, growing up hadn't taken the kid out of him. Danni sat there listening until the end of his minor tirade. She could sympathise. There were few things more annoying than having to do something you didn't like to do over and over again. She decided to get his mind off of it.

"Well, if that's your only class then you must be good at Algebra. Do you think you could explain some stuff for me?" Youngblood looked up in surprise, he obviously hadn't been expecting this, but was willing to help.

"Whot's the problem?" he queried, rising to the challenge and accepting the distraction. Danni and Youngblood spent the rest of the ride on the Ghoul Bus arguing over the finer aspects of parabolas.

~~~DP~~~

Inside the halls of the pseudo-Casper High a fight was about to break out, a fight to end all fights. Danni Fenton was about to murder her hair. "Hey Youngblood," Danni asked trying yet again to force her hair into a ponytail. "What's up with my hair? It never acted like this before I joined your crew." With frustration she stopped trying and snapped out. "And why does it keep eating my hair-bands?" She slammed the locker shut.

The floating Ghost Teen backed up a little. "Yer' air's acting off, caus ye' aint a pirate yet."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ye jus joined, an ye gotta earn yer Jolly Rodger. Jus' like Karate. Ye 'ave ter start off sum white belt, afore ye can be black belt, same thing. If'n ye want yer 'air back ter normal, ye gotta earn it. Dun' worrey, we got us a raid today an' yer 'air will be back ta normal quicker than the tides change." Danni listened with a sense of unhappiness until he got in that last sentence.

"Well, at least it'll be soon. I don't think I could take another day of a perpetual white cloud hanging over my eyes."She quipped, blowing her hair away from her face. They both laughed at this and didn't notice the crowd in the hallways part for a particular ghost.

Danni was eager to get the hair out of her eyes, and she missed her days of kicking butt as a twelve year old. "Hey, Youngblood, Who are we going to be raid-" Danni never got to finish that sentence as Butch Walker strode by knocking her in the shoulder and into her locker. "Hey!" She yelled already recovered. "Watch where you're going!" Butch turned around and looked down at the fuming faces of Youngblood and Danni.

There were few ghosts that really deserved any sort of insult. Not all of the ghosts in Danny's area of the Ghost Zone were perfect; in fact some of the more troublesome ones tended to be there, but rarely did any of them deserve insult. Butch Walker was the one that stood out in that category. At first he seemed like one of the regular tall, beefy, presumably blonde (no one could really tell), fifties ghosts that had moved away from the black and white area into Danny's territory. Then he opened his mouth. Butch may have been an okay seeming guy, but he was a special kind of jerk, the kind that kicked dogs and shaved cats. Butch was much like Sam's parents, thick headed, holier-than-thou and conceited. It was the opinion of many that it was lucky they were already dead or else they'd be stuck in a similar situation as Sydney Pointdexter had for the first fifteen years of his afterlife, haunting their lockers. In fact Butch had been the one shoving Pointdexter in most of the time. Butch didn't change much when he died,. He was still dumber than a rock, but seeing as Pointdexter was gone most of the time he directed his stupidity towards other, often unsuspecting victims. Too bad that he didn't hear that Danni was no one's victim.

"Well what do we have here?" Let it be known that Butch was the only one stupid enough to try and bully Danni, and this was going to be first and last time trying out his stupidity on her. "Two kids playing dress-up." This hit a nerve with Youngblood, he had liked being a kid, thank you very much, and dressing up was nothing to be ashamed of when it brought such cool perks. Meanwhile Danni longed to strangle the patronising tone out of his voice. Any other ghost would have apologized and run when faced with the united front of pure bone breaking rage emanating from the two spirits, but Butch stood fast. We did mention his head was thicker than the skull of a Yak, right?

"Looks like the little squirt finally got himself an ugly little girlfriend, and here I thought you were gay." He said laughing. Danni and Youngblood's green eyes bulged at this. A thought took root in both of their minds right then _I'm going to kill him!_ Youngblood raised his hook to cut the face off of the jerk when Danni grabbed his arm and shook her head fixing him with a look that said _I have an idea._ Youngblood lowered his arm and took a step back to give her whatever room she needed to set him straight. He smirked; he had seen Danni fight before and if she was anything verbally like she was at physical fighting Butch was going to get it. And with an audience, almost everyone was staring at them now.

"I really feel sorry for Butch" The mocking tone in her voice caught his attention. "You must be disappointed that he picked 'ugly little' me over you." Here Danni put her hand over her mouth and a false expression of apology spread over her face as her uncontrollable hair swayed in every direction. "My bad, I forgot. You didn't tell everyone you were gay yet, huh?" Everyone watching burst out laughing, sure they were dead, but they were teenagers, any and all humiliation would be enjoyed like one of Youngblood's rare wines. Butch's face acquired a look of horror.

"Can we still be friends," Danni said with a malicious grin on her face. "I'll even buy you that rainbow flag you wanted so much." Everyone laughed harder and Butch aborted his bullying and ran into the bathroom as Youngblood looked on impressed. Parrot stop laughing at this point and said, "I like her style. Mess up with her and I might stick with her."_ Substantial Humiliation in response to an insult resulting in crying and running away, without getting any teachers mad._ Youngblood considered the laughing halfa and came to conclusion. _That's me girl!!_

He could barely be heard above the laughter if the fellow ghosts. "Danni," Youngblood dug into his coat as she turned to look at him. "Ye earned yer keep, welcome aboard!" He handed her a pendant like his own and as soon as she grabbed it she gained, what she felt to be, an outfit upgrade. Fingerless gloves appeared on her hands along with a dozen or so gold and silver bangles. Large golden hoops weighed down her ears and a large version of the Jolly Rodger appeared on her shirt. But most importantly of all...

"My hair! It's not weird anymore!" Danni launched herself on to Youngblood in a hug of gratitude yelling ,"Whoo Hoo!" Youngblood blushed a deeper red than the wine he had shared with Danni yesterday. The still laughing crowd started to dissipate as the bell rang.

"Thar" Youngblood congratulated her s they started floating towards their classes. "An' ye didn' even need to go on a raid!"

Tying her hair up with the pendant she got Danni asked, "We're still gonna kick butt, right?"

"We'll be havin' ta best butt kickin' ye ever laid eyes on!"

"By the way..."

"Yes?"

"Wait until school gets out this time."

"Maybe..."


	7. Lipstick cruelty and Chair Induced Envy

Later that day at Danny's house

"What do you mean 'I'm siding with her'?" Danni was sitting with Danny and Sam on the couch, unable to believe her ears.

"Sorry, Danni, but I'm agreeing with her on this one." Daniel Fenton, now eighteen, said as he denied his only blood sibling an ally in denial. Danni scowled at this. "No offense, Danni, but when Sam says something she's usually right." Here Danny's eyes took on a mischievous gleam. "And even if she weren't I'd have to side with her any way or else I'd never get to sleep on the bed again." Sam rolled her eyes and playfully smacked his shoulder from the armoire where she was putting on her all natural, not-tested-on-animals make up, getting ready to go on a trip to the human world to visit friends, family and, the shuddered in horror at the thought, The Mansons. They would in all honesty simply "forget" to visit the Manson family if it weren't that Pamela, Sam's mom, was in the habit of calling to complain that she had been denied the right to try and force her now grown and married daughter into frilly pink dresses. A once a month torture was better than a weekend of complaints and nagging, and they grudgingly conceded.

"Really?! Not once ounce of doubt here?" Danni crossed her arms in a stern look that demanded compliance. Not that Danny noticed this at all.

"Nope." Danny just went back to looking for his ever elusive pair of decent shoes.

"I've even got some lip stick for you to wear when you kiss him and host that Luau in Aragon," Sam piped up. "It's called the Spectral Roses" Sam held up a tube of metallic green lipstick, before writing Danni's name on it with an environmentally friendly marker.

Danni sighed with frustration and flopped back onto their bed, before yanking herself back up with puzzlement. The ring on her finger was glowing red hot, or considering it was the Ghost Zone, green hot. She really got confused when the thing started emitting a low level vibration.

"Danni, what is that?"She looked up, apparently the sound of the vibrating emerald was louder than she thought as both Sam and Danni were looking at her strangely. "Don't tell me that Youngblood gave you a trap ring?!" Sam came over exasperated to pull the vibrating, possibly evil, ring off of Danni's finger and out the front door, when a small image popped up. Youngblood in all his finery, if the word could be applied to wine stained, old, ruffle necked, pirate clothes, looking for all the world like a transmission from Star Wars.

"Blast it, Danni! Youngblood complained in that accent of his. "Where ar' ye'? I'm waitin', We've got ta get ta Aragon's territories right' quick!" Then he seemed to spot Sam who was eyeing the jewel induced hologram on Danni's finger with a touch of amusement. " 'Allo, there, Miss Fenton. Jolly good day, ay?"

"Yes, it is Youngblood," a familiar glint was in Sam's eye now and Danni was half afraid of what would come out of her mouth, "and it'll stay that way too, as long as you bring Danni home at a reasonable time, Youngblood."

The tone in Sam's voice had Danni and Youngblood blushing, Danni's face going red and Youngblood's going silver. That patronizing tone that often came from Danny's friends whenever he and Sam were having "blush-y moments" long ago, the sort of voice that could only insinuate that the possibility of them making out was going to be very high and that Youngblood should be nice to his date. The silence was the long and painful sort. Mercifully, Danni cut it short quickly.

"Errr, yeah.... Where are you?" Danni quickly looked to away from Sam who was smiling as smugly as possible and pleading for help as desperately as one could with spectral eyes.

"I'm off by in da park."He quickly answered in an attempt to quickly work past the awkwardness. "I'll be waitin' a minute moor' or so, 'hurry up." With this the hologram folded in on its self like strange origami and disappeared.

"I'll be right there. Bye guys, got to go." Danni rambled as quickly as she could while walking toward the door.

"Don't forget to ask him if he likes your lipstick!"Sam called out mirthfully as Danni popped out the front doors and began to fly off. Not however, before Sam saw her face paint itself red.

"You're right," Danny said slightly impressed. "They are totally going to get together, maybe married in a year like you said too."

"Of course they are." Sam said her voice laced with an unspoken knowledge, "At least they won't have in-laws like ours."She said as they walked down the stairs and stepped into the portal and into the human world.

~~~DP&YB~~~

Danny Fenton was often of the opinion that all work should be doubly rewarded with rest due to the heckled life he had as a teenager trying to keep half his existence a secret. Danni whole heartedly agreed and the party in question was now laid out on the deck of the BloodHart letting the coolness radiate off her spectral body and half heartedly wondering about just why the Ghost Zone was eternally cold-to humans at least.

Skulker and Technus hadn't really put up a fight and probably wouldn't be much of a threat to those with practice unless they got some real leadership like Walker, and Walker was too busy imprisoning random people he found in his area. The fighting was a moot point now really anyway, Skulker wanted to overthrow Danny's realm like he wanted to be toasted over the flaming Crown of Fire all Skulker desired was Danny's head. Any attempts there would be as useful as the ones before it and fall flat on their metallic faces. Technus really only wanted to try and get into the human world to take over, we say only because he hadn't half enough practical knowledge on how to control it. The best part about it was that when Skulker and Technus were repelled from Danny's area of the Ghost Zone Technus was sent to the put into a thermos and his ranting kept them entertained for the longest time as they baited the insane ghost-in-a-can into more hilarious ranting. Skulker without his suit was nothing more than a green ectoplasmic blob and was generally fun to use as a kickball. He too was deposited through one of the numerous floating doors. His rants were also the source of much amusement. They knew that Skulker would be mad at them for the longest, but if Youngblood could keep trouble out of Danny's hair for such a long time, then it was going to be no problem with two of them.

Besides, Youngblood actually had the height advantage on them both. Although growing up had not been his choice, his six foot four frame spoke of just how kind aging had been to him. It was visible in the way he carried himself and especially obvious as he lay with his large hat over his eyes, arms behind his head, side by side with Danni on the ship's deck, soaking up some Ghost Zone rays and generally relaxing. Everything was still for a long time when Danni broke the silence.

"I want one." The comment come out of nowhere, quite loudly and startled Youngblood into flinging himself forward.

"Wha'?" He said sleepily, half yawning. "Wha' ar' ye talkin' about?" Danni lightly noted his improved speech before informing the drowsy pirate of the matter at hand.

"I want a chair too" She said pointing at the chair out on deck that Youngblood had sat upon earlier while waiting for Danni to show up.

"Oh," he seemed to finish waking up from his nap, "A chair. Well only tha Cap'n gets a chair like tha'." He announced with his usual childlike entitlement in his voice that he possessed whenever he spoke of the treasures he had found in the sea area of the Ghost Zone, or a delicious sandwich that he made and would be eating _all by himself_. "an you can't 'ave one." This came out a little more smugly than the last statement causing Danni to raise a single eyebrow.

"Really?"Danni crossed her arms in a defiant expression.

"Ya, wot ya gonna do?"

Danni jumped up and stood suspended in the tropical, for ghosts, Ghost Zone air as she pointed down at Youngblood with an imposing finger and proclaimed "I challenge you to a duel" Her arm swivelled "For the Chair!"

"Ye ask'd fer it!"Youngblood was now up and face to face to Danni entirely too close for his invasion of her personal space to be taken as anything but an acceptance of the battle. Contests were in Youngblood's … well blood. And no one in the world was going to beat him if he could do anything about it; at least not now that he was a good deal older than ten physically and mentally. And had been training with Danny Phantom after had had begun to grow up and all the "take over the world" attempts had ceased. Youngblood felt prepared for anything that she could dish out. He was steady he was unshakeable, he was-

VRROOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!

"HAHA!" Johnny Thirteen came zooming by just over head the two ghosts, startling them into jumping backwards then he pulled a U-Turn and crash landed on the BloodHart, leaving a large scorch mark on the starboard side where he had just barely avoided ripping off the rails with his back tire. He quickly rode around and skidded all around the ship knocking over the skeleton crew before stopping to look at his handiwork, a large set of skid marks that formed a huge "13" on the deck. Danni and Youngblood gaped down at the deck with disbelief then rage as Johnny Thirteen continued to laugh.

"Me ship!"Youngblood yelled with rage as he transformed his hook to a long chin with a hook attached and attempted to yank Johnny back off his bike. Shadow struck with bad luck as he made Youngblood's chain tangle effectively allowing Johnny Thirteen to get a jump start on them and ride off the ship. Danni broke out of her stunned state quickly.

"First one to bring down Thirteen gets the Chair!"She shouted in a rage. Instantly Danni and Youngblood flew off of the ship; one fuelled by rage and opportunity, the other fuel by a combination of rage and sheer competitiveness.

~~~DP&YB~~~

Next chapter; Joy Ride, Toy Ride, Musical Interlude into Earth.

So yeah… I wasn't satisfied with my chapter So I added some instead of being stingy with the YBXDP love.


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